In recognition of National Preparedness Month, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) invites health care professionals to register with the Arizona Emergency System for the Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (AZ-ESAR-VHP). This system enables hospitals and health care facilities to meet the increased demand for medical services in the event of an emergency.

Health care professionals of various disciplines, including physicians, registered nurses and pharmacists, are encouraged to register. As volunteers, those registered may be asked to assist in the event of an emergency. The registration process takes just minutes, but the reward of volunteering during an emergency can last a lifetime.

"It is imperative that health professionals register before a major emergency happens in our back yard. Emergencies are unpredictable and can affect the availability of resources, including trained health care professionals," said Will Humble, Deputy Director of ADHS, "We need to have our volunteers in place and ready to go when the time comes."

Visit www.azdhs.gov/volunteer for a complete list of desired occupations and to begin the simple, step-by-step enrollment process. The Web site also contains Information on liability coverage, worker compensation and answers to frequently asked questions.

AZ-ESAR-VHP is a secure, Web-based enrollment system used to register, qualify and credential Arizona health care professionals to serve during an emergency.